Shaver with hair raising brush



p 1958 J. T. SCULLY 2,852,845

SHAVER WITH HAIR RAISING BRUSH Filed June 20, 1955 FIEE4 M \7 M 2 INVENTOR.

iitti SHAVER WITH HAIR RAISING BRUSH John ii. Scully, New York, N. Y.

Application June 20, 1955, Serial No. 516,709

2 Claims. (CI. 30-34) My invention relates to a hair raising and skin stretching device for a dry shaver, more particularly an electric dry shaver.

An object of my invention is to provide a hair raising brush having flexible bristles mounted adjacent and parallel to the shearing or cutter head of an electric shaver and improved means for supporting the bristles of the brush. A further object is to provide a hair raising brush of improved efiiciency in operation and to minimize any tendency to skin irritation during reciprocal strokes or movements of the shaver on the area to be shaved, especially fast, repetitive reciprocal strokes or movements. The brush contacts the area to be shaved in advance of the cutter head for removing foreign matter such as grit or sand; for brushing the hairs to cause them to stand up so as to correctly enter the cutter head; and for stretching or smoothing out the skin in the area to be shaved. A brush may be provided on both sides ofthe cutter head so that the hair brushing and skin stretching will be accomplished regardless of the direction of move ment of the cutter head in the shaving operation and so that both brushes will simultaneously brush the skin to remove foreign matter and will also act as guards, both in advance of and in the rear of the cutter head, to prevent damage to the skin in instances where the cutter head may be pressed hard against the area being shaved. A brush may also be provided between spaced cutter heads for brushing the skin and for raising hairs irrespective of which of opposite directions the cutter heads are moved in on the skin.

The above objects and others which will hereinafter be,- come apparent are attained by the means shown in the accompanying drawing and described herein with reference to the drawing.

Reference is made to my Patents No. 2,711,015, granted iune 21, 1955; No. 2,711,582, granted June 28, 1955 and No. 2,718,694, granted September 27, 1955, relating to shavers or electric razors provided with hair raising brushes.

In using the combination of a shearing head or cutter head and a hair-raising brush in the shaving operation, with the brush travelling on the skin simultaneously with and in advance of the cutter head, I have found it advantageous to employ a fulcrum member behind or at the rear of the formation of bristles of thebrush and to so dispose the fulcrum member relatively to the exposed lengths of the bristles or the portions of the bristles which project out of or above the bristle holder as to cause the bristles to be flexed, by their travel on the skin, on or over the fulcrum member and in the direction of or towards the cutter head and whereby the fulcrum memher will support the bristles intermediate their projecting lengths in such travel on the skin in advance of the cutter head. Preferably, the fulcrum member lies between the formation of bristles and the cutter head and is disposed below the tips of the bristles whereby the upper or outer marginal ends, or tip ends, of the projecting portions of the bristles will be bent on or over the fulcrum member hice with the brush travelling on the skin in advance of the cutter head. With this construction, an otherwise very soft bristle formation may be employed with the result that in the course of the repetitive, reciprocal strokes or movements of the cutter head on the skin, the bristles will act less stifily on the skin during the movements thereon when trailing the cutter head than during the movements in which the bristles travel in advance of the head and, consequently, a more comfortable shave is provided. Further, I have found that the brush may have a thin or narrow formation of bristles for compactness and yet comprise a great number of bristles, both lengthwise and widthwise in the formation, for the Work of the brush, since, with the use of the fulcrum member, the individual bristles may be of very small cross-section or diameter, long enough to present otherwise a soft formation, and yet be strengthenedsufliciently by the fulcrum member to most efiiciently raise up hairs of a short, tough beard of a daily shaving person. Further, the fulcrum member provides means for controlling or limiting the distance towards the cutter head that the projecting portions of the bristles will be allowed to flex, with the result that the formation of bristles in the brush may initially be located nearer the cutter head than would otherwise be desirable and, consequently, permit more compactness at the shaver head.

While, herein, the invention is shown applied to or combined with a cutter head or heads in which hairreceiving slots extending transversely in the outer shear member also extend downwardly in the side walls thereof in forming the shearing bars in the outer member, I wish it to be understood as by way of illustration rather than limitation. It will be obvious that, since the bristle formation of the brush will serve as a guard, an outer shear member and an inner cutter member of any suitable well known form may be employed and, since the height of the position of and the thickness of the fulcrum member may also control or limit the extent to which the tip ends of the bristles maybe flexed not only towards the cutter head, but downwardly relatively thereto as well, the cutter head may have an outer shear member in which the shearing bars are in the form of shearing .teeth unsupported by an outer side wall and a similarly formed inner cutter member and whereby the outer side of the shear member is open for the length of its hairreceiving zone, or the cutter head may be of any other suitable form known in the art.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is an eniarged fragmentary side elevation of a dry shaver embodying the invention in one form, with parts broken away to show parts in section and inner parts in elevation. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation of the opposite side of the electric dry shaver, with parts broken away to show parts in section and parts in elevation. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the shaver as shown in Fig. 1, with a part broken away to show it in section adjacent its side end and to show interior parts. Fig. 4 is a side end view of the shaver with a part shown in cross-section, the section being taken approximately on line 4--4 of Fig. 2, and with parts in elevation broken away to show inner parts in elevation and parts in section, the cutter heads being shown in section transversely through the shearing zones. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side end view of the shaver illustrating the operation of parts in the shaving operation, a part being broken away and parts being shown in cross-section for clarity of view of operating parts. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of a modification of an electric dry shaver embodying the invention in another form. Fig. 7 is a side end elevation of the shaver shown in Fig. 6 turned counter-clockwise ninety degrees.

Referring in more detail to the drawing and in which 3 similar reference numerals refer to similar or corresaonding parts throughout the several views:

The electric dry shaver shown in Figs. 1-5 inclusive comprises the combined handle and motor housng casing H which is longitudinally divided into sections and 21 held together in the usual manner by screws. On its upper end, member H supports the transversely spaced shearing heads or cutter heads 23 and 24 which are of a commercially well known construction. The outer shear members of the heads are provided with a series of transverse hair-receiving slots 25 spacing shearing bars cooperative with cutter bars formed in the reciprocatingly movable inner cutter member by transverse slots to shear cut hairs, the inner cutter being longitudinally movable in the outer shear member and spring pressed against the shearing bars thereof. The cutter head members are longitudinally channelled and the slots in each are longitudinally offset on one side of the channels to the slots on the other side with the slots in the outer shear members extending a short distance down the sidewalls. A brush carrier 26 is detachably secured on member H adjacent the cutter heads by thumbscrews 27 and is provided with four fulcrum bars 23 extending longitudinally with the cutter heads and bridging from one side end of member 26 to the other or opposite side end. The transverse spacing of bars 28 is such as to place them closely adjacent respectively to the oppositely disposed sidewalls of the outer shear members of the cutter heads and yet permit, upon loosening of screws 27, the carrier 26 to be lifted off casing H or replaced thereon when desired. At opposite side ends, carrier 26 is provided with four vertically extending ribs 29, from bottom to top, which are transversely spaced in a manner to dispose a pair of spaced ribs opposite each longitudinal end of each of the cutter heads whereby the ribs constitute the sidewalls of whisker or beard clippings pockets 4-6) to receive the hair clippings ejected by the inner cutter during the shaving operation. Consequently, carrier 26 serves as a detachable, whisker clippings-receiving member having whisker clippings-receiving pockets opposite longitudinal ends of the cutter heads. Also carried by member as are two side hair-raising brushes 30 and 31 and an intermediate or central hair-raising brush 32. The bristles 33 of the brushes are flexible and adapted to travel on the skin and are arranged in a longitudinal formation of tufts which are stapled in the usual manner in sockets in relatively long, narrow, rectangular blocks or bristle holders 34. If desired, the bristles may be held by any other suitable type of bristle holders. Brushes 3t) and 32 are secured to carrier 26 by clamping screws which are screwed into internally threaded sockets in each end of holders 34. Brush 31 is similarly secured by clamping thumbscrews 36. In some instances, the holes in the side ends of member 26 which receive the shanks of screws 35 may be elongated upwardly as at 37 to permit upward adjustment of brushes 3d and 32 after the bristles have been worn shorter as a result of repeated use and, thereby, increase the durability of efficient use of the brush-es. Similarly and for similar reason, the holes in member 26 receiving the shanks of screws 36 vmay be elongated upwardly; preferably, these holes are also elongated downwardly as at 37a to permit brush 3]. to be lowered into retracted position in order to give the user a clear view when cutter head 24 is used for trimming sideburns or a mustache and to enable the user, if desired, to adjustably lower the brush for shaving the neck to the jawbone with head 2 as the leading head ,in the upward strokes and whereby brush 31 in leading head in the upward strokes will efficiently brush up hairs in this concavely curved area without any tendency of lifting the skin away from some of the leading shear bars of the outer shear member in this otherwise difficultto-shave area.

' The seat for member 26 on casing H is in the form of a rectangular ledge, half of which is formed by the top end of casing section 24 and the other half formed by a rectangular U-shaped shoulder on casing section 21 which projects outwardly from the bottom of a foursided, rectangular, tubular top end 38 of section 21. At its sides, top end 38 is slightly spaced inwardly of the sides of the outer shear members of the cutter heads to fit alongside the side ribs 2% and at opposite ends is vertically slotted, as indicated at 41, to receive the center ribs 29, of member 26. On the top of tubular end 38, a cutter head holding plate 39 is secured at opposite ends to the wall of end 38 by transversely spaced screws 42, plate 39 being provided with end slots 43 registering with or aligned with the rib receiving slots all in end 38 to receive the central ribs 29. Plate 39 covers the large opening surrounded by the wall of end 38 and is suitably slotted to receive the spaced actuating bars of the oscillator which extend up from casing H and into the cutter heads to longitudinally reciprocate the inner cutters. Shearing or cutter heads 23 and 24 are secured at opposite ends to plate 39 by screws 44 the heads of which are disposed in the large opening or hollow of end Sit-5.

As shown herein, brushes 30, 31 and 32 are preferably positioned with the tips of bristles 33 approximately even with or as high as the top outer faces of the shearing bars of the outer shear members of the cutter heads and with some of the bristles of the tufts closely adjacent or resting lightly against fulcrum bars 2?. Bars 28 are thin and are disposed laterally below the hair-receiving Zones of the outer shear members, but are high enough relatively to the bristle tips and the shearing bars of the outer shear members to prevent the bristles being bent, by their travel on the skin, against the shearing bars of the outer shear members or into the hair-receiving slots thereof. This arrangement of and relationship of the parts will enable the person who shaves daily to efficiently brush up short beard hairs with rapid shaving strokes and without any tendency of the bristles to block any parts of the hair-receiving openings of the cutter heads. This is the preferred arrangement and relationship of parts, but, if desired, the relationship may be such as to permit the bristles to be bent, by the skin, against the outer shear members slightly, and sufficiently slightly to greatly limit the extent to which the outer shear members may cause the bristles to be bent across the hair-receiving openings of the cutter heads. The bristles may be of any suitable length and thickness or individual diameters and may be relatively tightly or loosely packed in the tuft sockets of the bristle holders. As shown herein, the bristles project approximately one-quarter of an inch from the holders and have individual diameters of approximately .002 of an inch and are of the very durable filament commercially known under the trade name nylon. These bristles and their projecting lengths and their very small diameters present a very soft type of brush so that whenever one or the other of the side brushes is trailing the shearing means on the skin, as the shaver is moved back and forth thereon, its presence on the skin is hardly noticed through feel.

Referring particularly to Fig. 5, it will be observed that, as the shaver is moved on the surface of the sk n S in the direction to the readers left, side brush St is travelling in advance of cutter head 23 and that the brush "bristles are bent by the travelling engagement with the. skin rearwtrdly over or on the fulcrum bar and in the direction of the cutter head whereby the tip ends of the bristles are supported and stiffened by the bar to smooth out the skin and brush up hairs; similarly, the bristles of the brush between the cutter heads are bent rearwardly over or on the trailing fulcrum bar towards the trailing cutter head; on the other hand, the bristles of side brush 31 are flexed away from the cutter head (24) and the fulcrum bar and, consequently, brush the skin more softly. "l hen the shaver is moved on the skin in the reverse di- 'ection, that is, in the direction to readers right, the

bristles of brush 3i will be bent on the adjacent fulcrum bar in the direction towards the cutter head (24) and the bristles of the brush between the cutter heads will be bent on the fulcrum bar between them and the trailing cutter head (23); on the other hand, the bristles of brush 3% will be flexed away from the fulcrum bar between them and the trailing cutter head (23) to more softly brush the skin. Thus, it will be clear that, as the shaver is moved on the skin S in alternately opposite directions during the shaving operation, the side brushes will alternately individually act more stiflly and more softly on the skin, and the brush (32) between the cutter heads will, each time the change of direction of the alternate shaving strokes is made, be relatively softer for the periods during which the direction of flexure of its bristles is being changed than at other periods during the shaving strokes. Since, preferably, the tips of the bristles of the brushes, when the bristles are straight or in an unflexed state, are approximately even with or as high as the outer top surfaces of the shearing bars of the outer shear members of the cutter heads and since, when straight or unfiexed, the bristles are softest or weakest, any tendency of the bristles, if there be such tendency due to skin contour, to lift the skin away from any of the shearing bars of the outer shear members, as the changes in direction of the shaving strokes are made and, consequently, the changes in bristle directions are effected, will be avoided or, at least greatly minimized.

in the relatively simpler and more economical to manufacture electric dry shaver shown as a modification in Figs. 6 and 7, a single cutter head and a single skin brushing and hair-raising brush are mounted on the casing-handle housing the electric motor. Cutter head 23 is fastened to relatively long, narrow plate 3% which, at opposite longitudinal ends, is fastened to section 21a of the casing-handle by screws engaging into upper portion 38a the top of which forms end ledges supporting the plate. An upward extension Zllb of section Zia extends along and equidistantly with the cutter head on one side t ereof. On the opposite side of the cutter head, a brush bristle fulcrum bar or bending bar 28a is supported adjacent the side of the cutter head by spaced arms 28b which are fastened in any suitable manner, such as by screws, against a side face of portion 33a of the casiug-handle Disposed between spaced arms 2% and adjacent the side of the cutter head and portion 38a is a generally rectangular, thin, bristle holding block 34a of a skin brushing and hair-raising brush having a longitudinal formation of flexible bristles Spaced screws 35a engaging into portion 38a fasten the brush to section 21a. The block 34a may have downwardly widened or elongated screw shank receiving holes, as at 3%, to per mit sliding upward adjustment of the brush when and if the bristles become worn down. The oscillator has a single actuating bar, for reciprocating the inner cutter, projecting through the large opening at the top of portion 38a of section 2111. In other respects, the construction, operation, cooperation and relationships of parts are similar to the similar parts previously described.

In using the word bristles" in the claims, I wish it to be understood as connoting any suitable filaments, of natural or synthetic material, for brushing the skin and raising up hairs during the shaving operation in the manner which has been described herein.

While I have described several embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that they are for the purposes of illustration rather than limitation and that the spirit and scope of the invention is to be determined by the claims herein.

Having described the invention, I presently claim:

1. In a dry shaver, in combination, a skin-engaging cutter head comprising relatively movable cooperative outer and inner shear members, the outer shear member having a hair-receiving zone open at the side of the cutter head, a handle supporting the cutter head, a hair upraising brush including a bristle holder and a formation of flexible bristles projecting outwardly and upwardly thereof, said formation of bristles disposed adjacent said side of the cutter head and spaced from the hair-receiving zone of the outer shear member for simultaneous travel on the skin together with the cutter head, and a fulcrum member on the shaver disposed laterally below the hairreceiving zone of the outer shear member, said fulcrum member having a fulcrum edge disposed rearwardly of the projecting portions of said formation of bristles and spaced upwardly of said bristle holder for engaging and flexing the bristles intermediate their projecting lengths and holding the bristles spaced from said hair-receiving zone of the outer shear member as the cutter head and the brush travel simultaneously on the skin with the brush in advance of the cutter head.

2. In a dry shaver, in combination, a skin-engaging cutter head comprising relatively movable cooperative outer and inner shear members, the outer shear member having a hair-receiving zone open at the side of the cutter head, means mounting one of the shearing members movable longitudinally reciprocably, a handle supporting the cutter head, a brush carrier having whisker clippingseceiving pockets and carrying a hair up-raising brush including a bristle holder and a formation of flexible bristles projecting outwardly and upwardly thereof, means detachably securing the brush carrier on the shaver with said formation of bristles of the brush disposed adjacent said side of the cutter head and spaced from the hairreceiving zone of the outer shear member for simultaneous travel on the skin together with the cutter head and with said whisker clippings-receiving pockets disposed opposite the longitudinal ends of the cutter head, and a fulcrum member on the brush carrier disposed laterally below the hair-receiving zone of the outer shear member, said fulcrum member having a fulcrum edge disposed rearwardly of the projecting portions of said formation of bristles and spaced upwardly of said bristle holder for engaging and flexing the bristles intermediate their projecting lengths and holding the bristles spaced from said hair-receiving zone of the outer shear member as the cutter head and the brush travel simultaneously on the skin with the brush in advance of the cutter head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,164,820 Jean July 4, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 416,562 Italy Dec. 5, 1946' 496,570 Canada Oct. 6, 1953 1,058,422 France Nov. 4, 1953 

